Basketball has been a passion of Ilya Aristov, Managing Director of DataArt Cyprus, since childhood. His enthusiasm for the sport has not diminished, and he continues to play in Cyprus. Here, he fondly recalls some early on-court memories, while recognising that the sport has also taught him lessons that have had an impact on his professional life.
Ilya Aristov has never forgotten how, as a schoolboy, he became captivated by basketball. “That first game was memorable,” he recalls, partly because he played “like a traffic policeman!” having no skills other than waving his arms around and being tall. But it sparked a lifelong passion to keep achieving and training harder to become better, even after school. “At university, all our personal training classes were basketball,” he says. “The basketball community and the guys I played with – that was a great social glue.” Moreover, he says that it was a way for international students to make friends. “The basketball court is a great equaliser,” he observes.
For Aristov, playing basketball has always led to a real sense of community, even today, where he makes it to the court at least once a week and enjoys playing with friends in Nicosia. “I think any sport – team or individual – does that. You naturally end up wanting to spend time with those people,” he maintains. But it is the brotherhood developed in those formative times that never disappears. “One thing I’d love to do if I ever go back to my hometown is to get the old school crew together for one game,” he says. “Just to see how good – or terrible! – we are now, share some jokes and relive the memories.”
Aristov still remembers one of his most satisfying – albeit awkward – moments playing basketball. “The guys I'd played with at university decided to set up a proper league and I joined. It was serious; we had two training sessions a week and a game at weekends. Once, we were playing in a semi-final and every time the ball hit the floor, players from both sides dove for it – in full judo mode until the referee's whistle,” he recalls vividly. “In one of those scrambles I went down on my knees trying to grab the ball and, unfortunately, the other team's captain turned his head at exactly the wrong moment. My knee introduced itself to his nose!” He apologised, the nose was fine and his team won.
That was then, this is now. Does basketball have any obvious connections with Ilya Aristov’s professional life? He admits that it is hard to pick out just one thing that the sport has taught him but, he says, “You need to be fast, effective, and prioritise well.” He then adds, “Everyone has to attack and defend – to be aligned on goals and timing,” before offering a final piece of advice: “Don’t play with idiots. It can be dangerous for your health!”
This interview first appeared in the most recent edition of The Cyprus Journal of Wealth Management. Click here to view it.
